Some years ago I stumbled upon the Ruins Anthology Series from Hadley Rille books. I bought the Ruins Extraterrestrial book and loved the short stories inside quite a lot, so I bought its companion piece Ruins Terra which I started and read maybe 10 stories overall from it, but for various reasons - most notably the fact that my interests/moods swing fast - I never finished, though I always planned to read more and in consequence I kept it through the major winnowing of my print library this past year for the move from New York to Ann Arbor.

The third anthology, Ruins Metropolis remained on my Amazon wish list all these years and I always planned to get it at some point especially given its awesome cover above. Imagine my delight yesterday when looking at that wish list for other reasons, I noticed that like with The Transylvanian Trilogy that I wanted for a long time but the print price was too high, the Ruins anthologies have been recently reissued in electronic form and at the unbelievable price of 99c each at least for now, which meant that buying all three was automatic as they are all together about the price of a B&N large coffee.

So I will finally get to read Ruins Metropolis and finish Ruins Terra soon, though of course as I do with most anthologies these days, I plan to intersperse the stories in-between novels. The print editions are still available, both new and used if you want to go that route.

Before presenting the contents for Ruins Terra and Ruins Metropolis and talking about Ruins Extraterrestrial which I read several years ago but a quick refresh reminded me why I loved it so much, I will note that all three ebooks are drm-free, so you can use Kindle-PC, download them there, get them from the Documents/My Kindle Content folder, rename them as say mobi or prc from the azw Amazon format and drop them into Calibre for a quick conversion to your format of choice, without needing to go through the de-drm dance Kindle books usually need.

"We have long been fascinated with ruins. Even people who lived during ancient times were interested in the artifacts left by even more ancient cultures. Ruins hold so much mystery that even the best analysis can give only an impression of a long-vanished culture. Whether future ruins of Earth or those found on distant worlds, their artifacts are small pieces to larger puzzles that can never be absolutely complete. To study them we have to think beyond our present world experience. This is true of earthly ruins as well as those of non-human origin.

Cultures that evolved independently of us will have developed societies far beyond our imagination. And yet, that’s what carries us forward and motivates us to take those long trips across the void, confronting unknown obstacles in order to bring back knowledge from the remnants of a vanished civilization. How safe the visits will be will vary. Exploring alien ruins can be dangerous, both unintentionally on the part of those who left them, as well as by design. Some might still have a presence that can be triggered by the arrival of an unsuspecting archaeological team. Others will be completely dead."

Table of Contents: Ruins Extraterrestrial:

Introduction by Eric T. ReynoldsStonework by Wendy WaringBeyond the Wall by Justin StanchfieldThe Empty Utopia by Christopher McKitterickBorrowed Time by Gustavo BondoniCharybdis by Sue BlalockIntroduction to the Findings of Team 150B-T.2U by Raiden Mesc Gerarti by Elizabeth Kate SwitajThe Dam by Harvey Welles and Philip RainesThe Fateful Voyage of Dame La Liberté by Lavie TidharMemories by Robert B. Marcus, Jr.Watcher in the Dark by Suanne WarrJigsaw by Douglas SmithHeartcry by Willis CouvillierWhen All Is Known by Cheryl McCrearyRed City by Rob RielCombustible Eden by Davin IrelandThe Price of Peace by Tristan S. DavenportSong of the Child-Prophet by Jonathan ShipleyFlies by Paul L. BatesPlanetfall by Jack HillmanInheritance by Trent WaltersInclusions by Camille AlexaI, Fixit by Ted StetsonAmong the Shards of Heaven by Jennifer Crow

Looking back at the anthology I notice some familiar names that have become mainstays in the sff community since I've read the book, most notably Lavie Tidhar and Douglas Smith, while I also got and plan to soon read Christopher McKitterick's 2010 novel Transcendence.

The stories range from dark to humorous, from human perspective to alien one, from explorers from civilizations that are like ours, to explorers that come from strange cultures, from pure exploration to accidental findings and from peaceful settings to warlike ones. As they are only a few pages short, the stories feature usually only a few characters but almost always something interesting either happens or is discovered, so there are a few twists, great atmosphere and world building that is just exceptional given the few pages each author has to work with. There is even a two pages story where the place is the only character!

Overall I would say that Ruins Extraterrestrial (highly recommended) is the perfect place to start the exploration of this superb trio of anthologies.

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Editor Eric T. Reynolds comments on Ruins Terra in the introduction.

"Ruins have fascinated us for centuries. They provide a connection with the past, telling us about a culture no longer there, or of one that has moved on to new places.

In this book we present twenty-five stories and a poem about many kinds of human ruins from all over the world. You will find several genres represented including science fiction, fantasy, horror, gothic and mainstream. Each deals with how humans make sense of the ruins around them, whether natural or artificial.

Enjoy your travels into these fascinating realms of humanity."

Table of Contents: Ruins Terra

Introduction by Eric T. ReynoldsRising Tide by Ann WaltersIcebound by Kate KellyThe Moment of Glory by Brendan ConnellA Glint Through Smoke and Flame by Michael MerriamPilgrims by Ted StetsonThe Outdiggers by Jean-Michel CalvezThe Last King of Rona by Stefan PearsonThe Ruin by Skadi meic BeorhRock Visions by F.V. “Ed” EdwardsThe Chamber of Azahn by Thomas CanfieldMaximum Entropy by Kfir LuzzattoAfter the Stonehenge Bombing by Ivan SunBurrow by Joel ArnoldPython by Jenny BlackfordSeagull Inn by Adele Cosgrove-BrayClonehenge by Douglas A. Van BelleIt’s a Temple by Gareth OwensThe Guardians of Llarazan by Stoney M. SetzerThe Tour Guide by Angeline HawkesThe Tomb by Leila EadieThe Boy Who Found Atlantis by Jacqueline SeewaldIn Every Place that I Am by Adrienne J. OdassoAmazon Library by Lisa FortunerMoss Memoirs by Lancer KindAirholes by George PageRats in the Walls by Lyn McConchie

I read maybe ten stories in the print version years ago and read two in the ebook version I just got and like with Ruins Extraterrestrial, the stories are short but haunting and evocative.

"The artwork jumped out at me and within a few seconds I decided I needed to go ahead with this new anthology. This one would have a twist Ruins Terra and Ruins Extraterrestrial didn’t: the stories in this volume would be based on the cover art.

So I put out the call for submissions along with an image of Debbie Hughes’s painting. The story guidelines for this anthology were: write a story based on this cover art and the woman in the image must be the protagonist."

Table Contents: Ruins Metropolis

Introduction by Eric T. ReynoldsSumari’s Solitude by Alycia C. CookeThe Amulet of Passages by Leslie Brown and Sarah TottonIn the Precinct of Amun-Re by Kate KellyThe Eye of Re-Atum by Christine PoulsenCarrying Keptara by R. F. LongSeeker of the Dead by Gerri LeenVeilsight by Camille AlexaPanthanatos by Megan ArkenbergChildren of the City by Lyn McConchieMrs. Kelly’s Ghosts by Anna D. AllenKehmet’s Curse by Kari LivingstonWhen Love Dies by Jonathan ShipleyA Haunting in Giza by Brenta BlevinsAmulet by Jacqueline SeewaldChamber of Illusions by H.F. GibbardThe Deserted City by Victoria KennedyThe Tomb of Setankan by Sarah WagnerThe Name and the Shadow by Gene StewartOld World Magic by Adele Cosgrove-BrayThe Great Sleep by Rob RosenEnd by Ahmed A. KhanBy the Pool of the Blue Lotus by Erin M. HartshornThe Final Goodbye by Heather KuehlThe Librarian of Talimbourne by Kim VandervortDancing on the Corpse of the World by Jude-Marie GreenBurning Stone by Stephen Graham KingIn Search of Camanac by C. L. HollandThe Memory by Meg SwantonThe Return of the Queen by Jennifer MooreConvergence by K. L. TownsendCity of the Dead by Barton Paul LevensonQui’s Contract by Ransom NobleGoddess Reborn by Gianna RobbinsFor Sale: One Gold (Plated) Eye of Horus by Chris BentonHaroeris’s Favor by Willis Couvillier

I read so far three stories and they were all very good to excellent so I think this anthology is another winner!

1 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I love anthologies and these about ruins fascinate me. Putting together one on ruins is a great take on fantasy. Our good Earth has a number of ruins that truly puzzle the mind. I look forward to reading them.